Yankees 8 Astros 1
NEW YORK — The heavily favored Indians were never the same after Greg Bird’s towering second-deck seventh-inning homer off Andrew Miller won Game 3 of the American League Division Series.
The Yankees hope Todd Frazier’s second-inning blast Monday night does the same to the Astros in the American League Championship Series.
Riding the wave provided from Frazier’s early three-run homer, plus six shutout innings from a resurgent CC Sabathia and a welcome-back-to-the-playoffs performance from Aaron Judge, who homered and made two sterling defensive plays, the Yankees defeated the Astros, 8-1, in front of 49,373 that had the Stadium shaking throughout the night.
The Yankees, after dropping the first two games of the ALCS by identical 2-1 scores, are very much back into the series, which stands 2-1. Game 4 is Tuesday at the Stadium.
The three-run blast by Frazier off Astros right-hander Charlie Morton gave Sabathia an early cushion and, in one swing, surpassed the Yankees combined run total from the first two games.
The 37-year-old Sabathia, who retired 13 of the first 14 he faced in Game 5 of the ALDS in Cleveland and struck out nine over 4 2/3 innings, allowed three hits and four walks Monday. Against one of the sport’s top offenses, which has been underwhelming so far this series, Sabathia, serenated by loud “CC! CC!” chants during his outing, struck out five and stranded eight.
“I don’t ever worry about the situation affecting CC, I never have,” Joe Girardi said before the game. “Whatever the game was, he’s a big-game pitcher.”
Judge, after getting two hits, including a homer, in the Yankees wild-card victory over the Twins, slumped horribly, and came into Monday 4-for-31 these playoffs with 19 strikeouts. But Monday, after striking out in the first inning, walked in the third, then lined a three-run homer off Will Harris, who came in to face Judge, in the fourth that blew it open at 8-0.
Morton allowed seven runs and six hits over 3 2/3 innings.
Astros leadoff man George Springer swung at Sabathia’s first pitch, a 90-mph fastball, and tapped it weakly to third for the first out. The left-hander struck out Alex Bregman swinging at a full-count fastball, then struck out Jose Altuve, 13-for-23 the first six games of the postseason, on a slider to end the 14-pitch inning.
Sabathia had four strikeouts through two innings.
The Yankees took the lead in the second, a two-out rally Starlin Castro started with an infield single. Aaron Hicks followed with a flared single to left-center, bringing up Frazier. The third baseman, 7-for-18 in his career vs. Morton, including two homers, punched a 1-and-1 fastball that came in low and outside, on a line to right, the three-run homer making it 3-0.
Sabathia walked Springer with two outs in the third and Bregman lined a single to left, putting runners at the corners for Altuve. Sabathia fell behind the second baseman 3-and-0 before walking him to load the bases for Carlos Correa. Sabathia got ahead of the star shortstop 0-and-1 before inducing a pop up to short.
Judge contributed in the field, as he did in the Cleveland series when he robbed Francisco Lindor of a two-run homer in the 1-0 victory in Game 3. Yuli Gurriel led off the fourth with a drive to right where Judge charged to the track and snagged the ball, saving at least a double, before crashing into the wall, leading with the side of his face. Judge made a diving catch on Cameron Maybin’s sinking liner for the first out of the fifth, his second defensive gem of the night.
Bird led off the bottom of the fourth by slicing one to left where Maybin, the left fielder, seemed to lose track of the ball, which bounced and spun into the seats for a ground rule double. After retiring Castro and Hicks — the latter’s fly to right allowed Bird to tag and go to third — Morton walked Frazier. Headley then chopped one into short right against the shift, the infield single bringing in Bird to make it 4-0. That hit made Yankees’ DHs 1-for-29 in the playoffs. After Morton hit Gardner to load the bases for Judge, Astros manager A.J. Hinch brought on Harris. After throwing a strike, Harris threw one in the dirt, the wild pitch bringing in Frazier to make it 5-0.
With the count 2-and-2, Judge lasered one over the wall in left, the three-run blast quaking the Stadium as it screamed over the wall.